CMS narrows list to 3 draft maps in south Charlotte school boundary shuffle (free version)
Plus: New Johnson & Wales president announced; 'Pottery park' envisioned for Matthews; First look at new illusions museum; Atrium execs dominate merged company; Power expected tonight in Pinehurst
Good morning! Today is Wednesday, December 7, 2022. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Editor’s note: This is a shorter, free version of The Charlotte Ledger sent to people on our free sign-up list. The complete version for paying members went out 15 minutes ago, with the full articles, CMS maps, Matthews park renderings and more.
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Plans would provide relief to Myers Park, Ardrey Kell, South Meck; Sharon/Olde Providence areas likely to be bone of contention
By Cristina Bolling and Tony Mecia
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has released three new draft maps that are currently the district’s top contenders as it plans how it will shift school boundaries for a new high school scheduled to open in south Charlotte in the fall of 2024.
Families with students zoned for Ardrey Kell, Myers Park, South Mecklenburg and Providence high schools have been watching the developing boundary talks with intense interest, packing meetings in school libraries as CMS officials have worked to get parent feedback. The district has stressed that its plans are only drafts and that no final decisions have been made. The school board is scheduled to vote on the plans in February.
CMS officials sent the maps to a parent advisory group late Tuesday night, calling them “Red A,” “Brown A” and “Brown C,” and The Ledger obtained them early Wednesday.
They are
Related Ledger articles:
“CMS eyes shake-up of south Charlotte school boundaries” (🔒, Nov. 11)
“CMS officials are making the rounds to PTA groups this week about south Charlotte boundary changes; parents still awaiting maps” (🔒, Nov. 16)
“South Charlotte parents raise concerns on CMS boundary reshuffle” (Nov. 21)
Get to know Claire Schuch, CMS director of planning services, who joined us on a recent episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast:
Johnson & Wales taps Queens University business school dean as its new president
Johnson & Wales University on Tuesday named Rick Mathieu, dean of the Queens University of Charlotte’s McColl School of Business, as the Charlotte campus’ new president. Mathieu will be the fifth president to lead the campus in the last 7 years.
Mathieu arrived at Queens as dean in 2015 and prior to that he spent 10 years at James Madison University in Virginia, with the last five years serving as the associate dean for academic affairs at the College of Business.
‘Pottery park’ planned for historic site in Matthews
The town of Matthews has plans to take a historic pottery kiln and workshop near its downtown and transform it into a museum that will be open to the public as an educational resource.
The Outen Pottery Park is being developed from the remains of a kiln and studio built in the early 1950s by Rufus Outen on Jefferson Street, west of downtown.
The Town of Matthews worked with the Mecklenburg County Historic Landmarks Commission to acquire the pottery kiln, workshop and the 1.5 acres surrounding the structures in 2016, said Corey King, director of the Matthews Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resource Department.
The park will be a
Museum of Illusions opens in uptown Charlotte on Friday; more than 60 interactive and Instagram-ready exhibits
OFF WITH HER HEAD: The private museum chain Museum of Illusions opens Friday in uptown Charlotte, with more than 60 exhibits. Here, The Ledger’s Lindsey Banks checks out an exhibit called “Head on a Platter.” (But don’t worry — it’s just an illusion! No Lindseys were harmed in taking this photo.)
Museum of Illusions, which says it is the largest private museum chain in the world, is opening its newest location on Friday in uptown Charlotte.
The museum offers more than 60 exhibits of interactive and immersive optical illusions and holograms, including a dizzying walk-through vortex, all of which include explanations of the physics and psychology behind the exhibits. Most of the exhibits are designed to reveal the illusion only once a picture is taken, making it a perfect spot for Instagram photos.
Museum of Illusions Charlotte is located at 601 S. Tryon St. on the ground level of the Ally Center and will be open seven days a week. Tickets are $24 for adults ages 13 and up, $22 for seniors ages 60 and up, and $20 for children ages 5 through 12. Children under 5 are free.
CEO Jonathan Benjamin said the Museum of Illusions in Charlotte is the largest location in the U.S. and has signed a 10-year lease on the uptown location.
The private museum chain first started in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2015 and has since grown to over 30 cities in 25 countries, including New York City, Atlanta, Paris, Rome and Madrid. —LB
Related Ledger article:
“Here come the ‘selfie museums’” (June 14, 2021)
You might be interested in these Charlotte events: Distillery holiday open house, Good Friends luncheon
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
Saturday: Southern Distilling Company Holiday Open House, 3-7 p.m., Southern Distilling Co., Statesville. This free-to-attend event will feature: photos with Santa (starting at 4 p.m.), kid-friendly activities, complimentary distillery tours, holiday cocktails and more! Free.
Dec. 15: Gather & Give 2022. 11:15 a.m. - 1 p.m., Charlotte Convention Center, Crown Ballroom. Join Good Friends Charlotte at our annual Gather & Give Luncheon as we celebrate 36 years of impact in our community. Participating in this event supports our mission to bridge individuals and families from fragility to stability! 11:15am Mimosa Reception + 12:00pm Luncheon. Free.
◼️ Check out the full Ledger events board.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief
Power to be restored sooner than anticipated: Duke Energy expects to have power restored to residents of the Pinehurst area by tonight, the Charlotte-based utility said on Tuesday. Authorities gave no further information on who might have attacked two power substations in Moore County, knocking out power to roughly 40,000 customers — or why. (The Pilot of Southern Pines)
Helicopter crash investigation: The pilot of the WBTV helicopter that crashed last month never made a distress call, according to preliminary findings by the National Transportation Safety Board. The chopper made three 360-degree turns in a training exercise but in the third turn, it went into a rapid descent and crashed, killing pilot Chip Tayag and meteorologist Jason Myers. (Observer)
Atrium execs are majority on leadership team: Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health announced an executive leadership team consisting of 14 Atrium executives and 11 Advocate Aurora executives. Charlotte is the headquarters of the new organization, which was formed in a merger that closed last week. The CEOs of the two companies will jointly run the health system for 18 months, after which Atrium CEO Gene Woods will be the sole CEO.
Dunlap to lead commissioners again: Mecklenburg County commissioners selected George Dunlap to serve his fifth term as chairman in a 6-2 vote. (Observer)
Man charged in park ranger shooting: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police charged a man Tuesday in connection with the shooting of an on-duty park ranger last week and with threats toward children at a daycare. (WFAE)
Credit union merger: Skyla Credit Union, formerly known as Charlotte Metro Credit Union, is merging with Parsons Federal Credit Union and adding its two branches in Pasadena, Calif., and Centreville, Va., to its 17-branch network. (Skyla Credit Union)
Programming note: Ledger editor Tony Mecia appears as a guest on 90.7 WFAE at 6:40 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. on Thursdays for a discussion of the week’s local business news in the station’s “BizWorthy” segment. Audio and transcripts are also available online.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project